Page 8 - May 2007 The Game

8 The Game, May 2007 Canada’s Thoroughbred Racing Newspaper
Woodbine Begins Again: Same Old Questions
The 51st year of racing at Woodbine got underway on a raw Saturday, March 31. A trip to the jockey’s room was neces- sary to probe the questions that horse- players have asked for decades:
Is it better to be winter raced? Do the
jockeys benefit if they’re been riding somewhere else while Woodbine is closed? I have to be honest here; I don’t think I really got a definitive answer. For example, last year’s champion jockey Emma-Jayne Wilson has come back to
the scene of her success after three full months of riding at the Fair Grounds in New Orleans where she piled up 25 wins from 252 rides. She figures she’s got an edge from that experience.
“I would hope so,” says Wilson. “I stayed fit. Everyone works a lot of horses in the morning come the spring time, so maybe it’s a slight advantage. I’m stoked to be back home riding races. This is what I want to do all my life.”
Michelle Rainford, who was on fire towards the end of last season, elected not to ride during the winter, mostly to protect her apprentice status which expires on September 17 of this year.
“In some ways I think the time off is good,” she says. “Your body needs a break, so in that way we come back fresh. It might take a couple days to get back into it, but you’re better off in the long run because of it.”
Rainford scored 65 wins last year. Her goal for 2007?
“More this year,” she states confidently. “Much more, of course!”
Clerk of the scales, Robert Bertrand. looked fit and trim and ready to drill his band of eccentric athletes into a disciplined and productive team.
“Mostly we have little issues with weights,” says Bertrand about opening day. “The guys are all a little fat coming off the wintertime. That’s the biggest problem right now. Other than that, there’s the first day jitters and away we go.”
Veteran Ray Sabourin did not ride after Woodbine ended last fall, but he kept in shape during the off-season.
“I did an exercise program at home to get ready,” he says. “Everybody’s a little fatter than they should be, but. I’m fit and ready to go and excited.”
The Game asked Sabourin if riders working at American tracks during the winter have the advantage.
“They do if they’re coming back to ride the horses that they were riding while they were away,” says Sabourin. “But let’s face it - the horses are doing all the work.”
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“Rocket” Ray Sabourin aboard the Bruno Schickedanz owned, Luv A Marine
Sabourin was also the guy to talk to about Jim McAleney who will be out of action at least until August after a dreadful starting gate accident the day before the meet opened. When a horse reared up, McAleney was pinned inside the gate and he suffered a broken thigh bone.
“I was with him a couple hours after he got hurt,” says Sabourin seriously. “For a broken femur it’s about as good a prognosis as you can have. His return should be pretty quick. The horse flipped in the gate. Sometimes you walk away from it and sometimes you don’t.”
The Game hopes the charismatic McAleney returns as soon as possible. When injured, a jockey’s earning power drops substantially. Last year McAleney was third leading rider, with his horses earning over $6million.
Dino Luciani was another jockey who elected to give his body a break this winter
“I stayed active,” he says. “I was up at a farm and kept busy. I went jogging. I think we’re all in the same boat. It’s what’s underneath us that is the difference. It’s like riding a bike. You don’t ever forget.”
The ageless Richard Dos Ramos (his bio insists he’s 45, his face says otherwise) was one of the few veterans who ventured south for winter time employment.
“I rode on Boxing Day in Trinidad at Arema,” he told us. “It’s a new track they just rebuilt. I rode a winner there. I also worked for a guy called Jim Kirk down in Ocala. I rode a winner for him at Tampa Bay.”
Continued Page 10 - See Woodbine
Trainer Henry Reid
Ambitious new trainer has limited stalls available for racing at Fort Erie & Woodbine
• 26 years working with thoroughbreds
• 6 years as Assistant Trainer at Woodbine - winning 10 out of 50 races in 2005
Personal Care & Experience A Winning Combination 905-246-1921
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